THE MURDER OF MR GEORGE DOBSON.

West Coast Times, Issue 250, 11 July 1866, Page 2

THE MURDER OF MR GEORGE DOBSON.

INQUEST ON THE BODY,

(from the grey biveb abgus,) On Saturday, at noon, Mr Warden Revell commenced, at the Union Hotel, the inquest on the body of Mr George Dobson, who was murdered on the Grey and Arnold track on or about the 28th of May last. The father and brother-in-law of the murdered man were present, and also the prisoner James Wilson, who stands accused of the murder. During the proceedings the large room of the hotel was filled by the public, who took a deep interest in the proceedings. Before proceeding to view the body, the Magistrate informed the jury that they were assembled to inquire how, where, when, and by what means the deceased man came by his death, and he asked them to discharge from their minds anything which they might have read or heard outside that room touching this matter, and to return a verdict strictly in accordance with the evidence which would be laid before. them.

When the Jury returned from viewing the body, the following evidence was taken : —

Inspector W. H. James, stationed at I Greymouth — On Tuesday, the 3rd instant, I proceeded up the Grey river, with a party, to search for the body of George Dobson, at a spot about one mile on the Canterbury side below the coal-pits, on the Arnold track. The instructions where to find the body had been received by telegram from Nelson, and said to have been given by the prisoner Sullivan. For the first three days we were unsuccessful, and on Friday, the sth inst, I commenced the search at a point a mile below the spot indicated on a'tracing which I received from Nelson by Special Constable Q'Brienon the previous day, as the tracing indicated the the locality which we had already searched for three days. At five minutes to twelve o'clock I was in the act of crossing a log which lay over a blind creek or gully, when I felt a strong smell, and I called Constable M'llroy's attention to the spot, and told him to make a strict search near it. He found a brandy bottle lying in the >> creek, and on examining it we saw by the label that it had not lain there long. Constable M'llroy went a few steps forward, and said he had found the body, for the toe of a boot was sticking out of the ground. It was immediately below the ■pot where I was standing on the log when I first experienced the smell. . The body was a few inches under the soil, lying with feet up the gully, the head down, and buried close under a terrace. I immediately cooyed for Special Constable O'Brien, who was on the track, and I was answered by Mr Matthew Russell.who was passing the track at the time. He came into the bush, and I pointed out the spot to him where the body lay. It was, as near as I could guess, about thirty yards in the bush from the main track. As I was informed by Mr Russell that a party was coming up in a boat and would arrive in half an hour, I delayed proceedings until they arrived. Mr Russell then commenced removing the earth from the body, commencing at the feet, where a part of a boot was exposed. When the earth was removed, we found that Mr Dobson's Inverness cape was lying across the lower part of his body and legs, and that his albert gold guard was hanging on his vest, and his silver watch in his vest pocket. On removing the cape to one side I found a prismatic compass in case, a tape, and a field book lying on the legs, and on each side of the body two leather straps were lying. On examining the watch I found that it had stopped at twenty-seven minutes to .four o'clock, but it had run down. The body was lying on its back, the right hand resting on the body, and the left arm lying by the side. I have examined the clothes worn by the deceased, and find a slight tear in the back of the cape, and another slight tear in the collar of the coat, but otherwise the clothes appear perfect. The body was not disturbed in any way, but taken up as nearly as possible as it lay, and placed on a stretcher. It was iif a very damp spot, for the hole was almost immediately half full of water after taking the body out. I observed that the flesh was wanting on the side of the left cheek. The body was much decomposed, and in lifting it almost the entire skin of one hand fell off like a glove. The body, and some of the articles found in the grave, were identified on the spot by Mr Todhunter, and the body was also identified on the spot by Mr Matthew Russell as that of George Dobson. The deceased has been missing since the 20th May last. I have received a copy of Sullivan's confession, wherein he states that the articles found in the grave, and now produced, were buried with the body. By Jurors— The earth was not removed from the face! There were no rat holes about, the earth was hard on the surface, having been apparently trodden down. There was a greater depth of earth on the upper than on the lower part of the body. This earth was mixed with fern and clay, and as tenacious as if it had been trodden down. There was no appearance of a struggle having taken place near the grave, but it was apparently at the end or" a track where the body was buried. The track was slight, and I think it was made when the timber was felled for the bridge. There was no evidence of any person having been recently at the spot. I believe the hands or legs had been strapped, and they were loosened after the body was placed in the ground, but there was no proof of this ; it is a surmise of mine. The straps found in the grave have not been identified as having belonged to George Dobson. Charles Franklin Todhunter — I am a merchant in Christchurch, and knew the deceased, who was my brother-in-law. I have seen the body which was found yesterday, and I identify it as that of George Dobson,late Assistant District Engineer at Hokitika. I can identity the chain produced as the property of George Dobson, but I am not positive as to the watch, although I have seen him with one like it. I also identify the writing in the field-book as that of George Dobson. I identify the body by the hands, the teeth, the color of the hair, and the way in which he wore it, the shape of one leg, the formation of both wrists, and a projecting bone in the thumb. I saw the body when it was taken up, and also to-day. The articles produced to-day I saw taken out «f the grave by the . police.

Matthew Russell — I am a miner, residing on the Grey. I knew the deceased George Dobson, who was a surveyor and assistant engineer. I have known him for several

years, and was well acquainted with him. I saw the body taken out of the place where it was buried, and identify it as that of George Dobson. I helped to uncover the body, and I identified him by the size, the boots, the hair, and general appearance, before I saw his face. I have not seen the deceased for the last three months. (The witness continued to give evidence as to the finding of the compass and other articles in the grave, and the removal of the body). I think I noticed a rat hole about a yard from the grave, but I saw none exactly on or close to the grave. 9 cannot say whether the rats could get to the body by the hole which I noticed, as I made no examination.

Charles Foppoly — I am a legally qualified medical practitioner, residing at Greymouth. This morning at ten o'clock I, in company with Dr Strehz, made a post mortem examination on a body shown me as that of George Dobson. The body was laid on a stretcher straight on its back, was dressed and covered with dark soil, so also wafe the face. After removing the soil from the face and clothes (about half a bucket full) we commenced to cut open his clothes. We removed the necktie, a black silk one, fastened at the neck very loosely by a sailor's knot, and then washed the face and head. We found that all the muscles of the face were destroyed from the upper part of the eye to the chin, and from ear to ear. The muscles were entirely destroyed to the bone. The edges of this wound were very irregularly cut with indentation such as would be caused by the corrosion of the teeth of rats. My opinion is that putrefaction could not have destroyed the portion of the face which was gone, for the surrounding parts were in a state of comparative preservation. Decomposition could not have destroyed the flesh so near to the bone without leaving some harder part preserved. On examining the whole of the body, although decomposition \ras far advanced, we found that the work was not in proportion to the time that had elapsed since he was buried. This delay in the process of decomposition may be caused by some special quality possessed by the soil in which the body was buried, or some other cause of which lam not aware. In examining the head, on the left side of the temporal bone we found a large contusion of the size of an egg, and extending to the external ear. Another contusion was found on the top of the head, leading down the left side, and of the same size as the other. On the right side of the head, on the temporal bone, we found a contusion, of the size of a crown piece, and on the back of the head there was another wound in the occipital region, of the size of half-a-crown. These wounds, after removing the scalp, we found to pass right through the integuments to the skull, which was also slightly discolored. The neck was swollen in the front from ear to ear, the color of the neck was of a yellow green, which color was also to be found all over the body, as a sign of decomposition. In the left side of the neck, precisely corresponding to Jthe region of the jugular vein, we found a deeply colored wound, of the size of a shilling. Starting from this spot there were three stripes, of a red color, running towards the vertebrae, and separted from each other about a quarter of an inch. On the right side of the neck we observed some red colored stripes of the same kind, but very irregular, not so distinct, and some running towards the shoulder. Some stripes of the same color and form we found on the chest. Ali these stripes we found only extending to the superficial skin. On examining the teeth we found them all preserved, only one being missing on the upper jaw, left side, but from the appearance of the gum we thought it must have been gone for a long time. One was also wanting in the lower jaw, left side, leaving an old stump in. The tongue was destroyed at the point for about a quarter of an inch, leaving an indented margin. It was swollen, and darker than usual. In the throat, "Adam's apple" was flattened and pushed up as far as the chin. The parts composing the '' apple" have lost their natural resistance. On dissecting the Jarynx we found 1 the internal mucous membrane deeply colored. On opening the head we found a great vascularity of the membranes of the brain. The brain itself, by the action of decomposition, had lost all consistency, and was reduced to a soft paste. We found no fracture on the skull. On opening the cavity of the chest we found the lungs congested chiefly in the upper part; the heart contained in the right ventricle a certain quantity of blood in a liquid state, but a greater quantity than was in the left ventricle. The stomach was in a healthy condition, containing a little quantity of a brown liquid which we did not remove. The intestines and bowels were in a healthy condition, and so also was the liver. As to the cause of death — the four wounds on the head are the effect of blows given by a blunt flat instrument, such as the stock of a gun. Although these wounds were not sufficient to produce death, they were sufficient to stun a person and render him insensible. The alteration we found in the respiratory organs are visibly the effect of the violent px-essure of a hand on ' the throat, The mark on the jugular vein may be caused by a thumb, and the person who committed the deed must hare used the left hand. The cause of death was the blows on the head and the pressure of the larynx in an upward direction until suffocation ensued. The handkerchief was not used to strangle the deceased, for if it had it would have caused a circular mark round the neck, but would not have displaced the larynx as was done. By Inspector James — We found no signs of vitriol or acids having been used to destroy the face of the deceased. By Jurors — It is impossible for the deceased to have inflicted those wounds upon himself. As it was now five o'clock the Magistrate said it would be better to adjourn further proceedings, as there were a number of witnesses yet to examine, and as several of them lived in Maori Gully— those who had last seen the deceased alive — he suggested that in order togive them time to come to town the inquest should be adjourned to Tuesday. This was assented to by the jury, and the proceedings were adjourned until Tuesday (yesterday) at one o'clock.